Page 89 of 4 Corinthians

“How is that man so childish but so damn smart?” I mumbled, shaking my head. “Judah, baby, don’t worry about it. Madea won't take care of the debt. But we will sit down and talk to Krude together.”

“You sure?” he asked, and I nodded. “Alright. I’m going back to play until it’s time to go.” He handed me the phone and walked out of the kitchen.

“Okay,” I replied. I picked up the phone. “Madea?”

“Yes?” she replied.

“What time do you want us to be at the house?” I asked her. I wanted to work out for a little while before getting ready, if I could.

“Show up when you want to, baby; everybody staggering in when they feel like it,” she answered.

“Alright, we will be there a little later.” I ended the call with Madea then went to my bedroom. On the way there, I stopped by Judah’s room to see him sitting at his desk playing his game. “Judah?”

“Yes, ma’am?” he replied without turning around.

“Be ready to go in two hours, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I left his room, went to mine, changed my clothes, and went to the basement. I had a full gym down there. I put on my headphones, turned on the TV mounted on the wall that showed my security feed, then started running on my treadmill. I ran, listened to music, and watched the cameras.

***

“Mama, who’s all here?” Judah asked as we got out of the car. He closed his door, and I looked around, trying to place the cars that I knew. I was coming up blank on a few cars, but that didn’t mean anything. Madea, more than Granddaddy, tended to invite people over and never tell anyone else. It drove Granddaddy crazy, but he never said anything, especially since it wouldn’t matter; she would do it anyway. Madea always said she invited people into her home like she did her heart.

“Probably a little bit of everyone,” I answered. We walked to the front door, and Judah stopped just as he put his hand on the handle.

He looked back at me and lifted his brow. “Is it okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, baby, other people are here,” I laughed. He turned the handle, and we went inside. Over the years, Madea and Granddaddy renovated and expanded their house to accommodate our growing family. We offered to buy them a new one, but they declined, saying it was their home, full of memories, and they weren’t leaving.

I kicked off my shoes while Judah took off towards the back, looking for one of my cousins. It felt good seeing my son have the same relationship with my family that I did.

“Your dress is cute,” I told Bug as I approached her. I tugged on the hem of her dress and laughed when she pushed my hand away. She was on the phone, so I wasn’t loud. “I’m not going to take it.” She winked at me. “Where’s everybody else?” She pointed to the living room, and I nodded. “Find me later?”

Psalms' brows damn near touched, and she held up her finger. “Give me a moment,” she said and moved the phone from her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I answered. “I just wanted to run something by you and wanted your opinion.”

“You sure?” she asked. I nodded. “Okay.” She watched me briefly before nodding her head and putting the phone back to her ear.

I patted her shoulder as I passed her and went to the living room. Krude was sitting on the couch, arms folded, with a mug on his face. He looked up at me, stuck out his tongue, then turned his attention back to the TV.

“Don’t say a word to him,” Cross said, sticking her head out of the kitchen. “Madea put him on punishment.”

Krude turned from the TV, flipped her off, then turned back to the TV. Cross laughed and waved for me to follow her.

“What did he do?” I asked her.

“Said he wasn’t going to stop betting kids,” she answered, then sat in a chair at the table. “I told her I was going to beat his ass and have Nine freeze all his accounts again, and Krude didn’t care. Madea stepped in and told him to sit his boney ass on the couch and stay there until he’s ready to grow up and act like an adult. She told us that if we didn’t listen to her, we could join him.”

“She plans on him growing old and dying on that couch?” I shook my head and sat across from her.

“She said that she had all the time in the world,” Cross replied with a laugh. “I give it until it's time to eat before he breaks and says he won't bet them again.”

“He won't,” I said, shaking my head. “He is a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one. He likes betting with kids just as much as they like it. They only get mad when they lose. That’s why I don’t pay them too much mind. I check Judah’s little account all the time. He has more money coming in than he ever has going out.”

“I think she’s just mad because he is cheating, but he always cheats. It’s why I stopped playing him.”